Frequently Asked Questions!

[printable version]

What is your vision of wedding photography?

I believe that the best way to capture your wedding is by being part of it, by observing, never interfering. I document the feelings that come out naturally, watch the events unfold, and photograph that fraction of a second when everything comes together.

That is great! But what do you do differently?

My involvement with your photographs do not stop at your wedding day. I will go over your images to correct the color, brightness and contrast, and sometimes minor retouching. On top of that, I spend sometimes up to 30 hours in my digital darkroom, creating Signature Fine Art images for you. I hand pick images that to me represent the emotions of your day and enhance them to reflect those emotions. Nothing cheesy, nothing formulaic. Please look at some samples - I think they are self explanatory...

Tell me how we will work together!

Before the Wedding: About two or three weeks before your wedding, I will send you an information sheet for you to fill in. This information will allow me to learn more about the details of your wedding. After I review the information, we will get together to go over some of the more important details, such as posed shot list, any special arrangements for your wedding and will also help me understand the flow of your wedding day. If meeting face to face is not possible, we will talk on the phone. 

Wedding Day: I will arrive early in the day, and will spend most of the time covering bride's preparation. I will do this in a very unobtrusive way. I will also cover the groom's preparation if he's in a nearby location. I will be working around your schedule.

Even though I shoot weddings in a photojournalistic style, as a recent groom, I understand the important of posed shots  - weddings are often the only place where the whole family comes together. I will arrange a good spot for the group shots and organize each group.

I do not want your wedding party to spend hours posing, you have a reception to go to! So we will work in a relaxed and fun way, capture great smiles and expressions, and send everyone to reception.

If we have time (we will), and if you feel like it, I will take the two of you (and only you!) and we will do a little fashion/fun/romantic shoot together! We will find some cool spots and have fun together. I won't direct you much - you obviously love each other so just be yourself!

So we are at the reception now! I really enjoy the receptions - I think it is because I do partner dancing (and met my wife while swing dancing). I love the energy of the dance floor and since I am also a dance photographer, you will have some awesome dance photographs as well! If the party is rocking and runs longer than your coverage, and you want me to stay, just let me know and I'll simply charge by the hour. 

Do you shoot more than one a weekend?

I will be shooting a limited number of weddings this year to keep myself creatively fresh. I also only shoot one wedding a weekend mostly. I put so much of myself into the day and work so hard that doing back to backs have to be an exception. I am not a wedding factory - I enjoy shooting weddings and want to keep it that way.

Do you shoot film or digital?

I am all digital. I use state of the art professional digital cameras which are many times better than regular digital cameras. I am able to shoot a large number of photographs this way - I play with light, try lots of different angles without worrying about running out of film. I also digitally enhance images to create my Signature Fine Art images and design my albums all digitally. It works out great. Digital also allows me to capture without flash more often so I can capture the mood and ambient light much more easily - it looks much more natural that way. If you have any questions about digital, feel free to ask me.

Albums - How does the design process work?

Within thirty days of your proof receipt, I will ask you which photographs you would like to have in your album. The good rule of thumb for bridal size albums is about 2 per page. After your input, I will design the album trying to utilize all your selected photographs in order to tell the story of your day. You will have a chance to review the design and make some changes before it is printed! You will also be selecting the album style, colors, and cover material.

Do you shoot black & white and color?

I shoot a mix of black and white, and color. I go through each image at the time of editing to determine which version would look better. I usually end up with a similar number of B&W and color images, as well as some infrared and uniquely toned images.

How can we reserve our wedding date?

I would love to schedule a consultation with you to go over your wedding plans and to show you my portfolio. Please contact me to set up a time to meet! I am only able to reserve your date after receipt of a signed contract with payment of one third of your selected coverage amount as retainer.

How about travel?

I will gladly travel anywhere in the world! I enjoy shooting at different places and this year, we will be traveling to California, Washington, Turkey and Dominican Republic for weddings. I do not charge travel fee for locations that are about an hour away. Travel to locations that require overnight stay will be discussed with you.

We have many more weddings available at our studio for you to see, these are only some samples.

Evrim Icoz Photography

503 341 4762 - Portland, Oregon